title: Development of a brief version of the Social Phobia Inventory using item response theory: the Mini-SPIN-R.
abstract: The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) is a widely used measure in mental health settings and a 3-item version (mini-SPIN) has been developed as a screening instrument for social anxiety disorder. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the SPIN and developed a brief version (mini-SPIN-R) designed to assess social anxiety severity using item response theory. Our sample included 569 individuals with social anxiety disorder who participated in 2 clinical trials and filled out a battery of self-report measures. Using a nonparametric kernel smoothing method we identified the most sensitive items of the SPIN. These 3 items comprised the mini-SPIN-R, which was found to have greater internal consistency, and to capture a greater range of symptoms compared to the mini-SPIN. The mini-SPIN-R evidenced superior convergent validity compared to the mini-SPIN and both measures had similar divergent validity. Thus, the mini-SPIN-R is a promising brief measure of social anxiety severity.
authors.affiliation: Boston University and University of Haifa. Electronic address: iaderka@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Idan M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Aderka
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pollack
authors.forename: Naomi M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Jasper A J
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Ameringen
authors.forename: Murray B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Stefan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hofmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: assessment; item response theory; psychometric properties; social anxiety disorder; social phobia inventory